Mercados Las Almas

With the ongoing beta, players can’t get enough of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2. The game will officially released on October 28, 2022, but in the meantime, you can enjoy one of the core 6v6 multiplayer maps of the game as a part of the ongoing beta. Today’s focus is the formerly thriving market of Mercados Las Almas.

Mercados Las Almas Map Overview

The lore states that Task Force 141 cleared out the bustling marketplace of Las Almas before it turned into another war zone. SpecGru and KorTac operators will now duke it out to secure one of the most important cultural and economic landmarks of Las Almas.

Mercados Las Almas is a 6v6 core map that caters to fast-paced action through and through. Players must be one step ahead of their enemies packed with run and gun load-outs for blood-rushing close-quarters combat.

SpecGru operators are allowed to secure the Silo’s market located around the North Corridor. While KorTac Agents get dropped off at the Cantina via their very own airlift.

SpecGru Spawn

• SpecGru starts off at the small Silo Area, which isn’t good for much, but you can opt to use some throwables or equipment across the map. This can give you a small edge over your KorTac enemies and catch them by surprise, allowing you to deal some early damage or even get the first kill.

• There’s really no time to think about your strats on a map like this so you need to be prepared in advance. As a SpecGru operator, you should bolt out of the Silo area and head over to the eastern side where the Trash Truck is located. Optionally, you can navigate to the southern area to the Patio or make your way westwards where the Elephant Room is found.

• As for another option, you can head to the Forklift area which is a storage structure found adjacent to the Trash Truck. You can exploit this position as a means of cover against incoming throwables, and projectiles or as a means to fend off against enemies rushing through the Warehouse found across the street.

• A deeper look into the Patio section of the map is in order. The Patio opens up into the Old Church section as well as the main Market Area of Mercados Las Almas. In case you didn’t know, it’s directly below the Elephant Room which is a two-level structure that was once used as a Banana factory company by the Bannba Company, a funny name.
  
• So, what can we make of all of this? The Elephant Room gives an opportunity of the window for those skilled with Snipers. In a fast-paced map, the high positioning paired with run and gun operators swarming like ants on the main market make for a good hunting ground for skilled snipers with the very best movement tracking.

KorTac Spawn

• The KorTac Spawn Point offers an advantage over the SpecGru’s, and it’s because their lanes offer the best rushing opportunities, during an initial encounter.
  
• Exploiting your deck of cards, you can immediately make a breakthrough to the Cantina La Plaza from Spawn Point. This is a two-level pub and bar where you’ll find fast build enemies and operators engaging in close-quarters combat.

• Considering the fact that you’ll make it to the Cantina La Plaza first, secure your position and prepare for any incoming operators.

• Eliminate any enemy operators heading for the Plaza and make use of the second floor by scouting for enemies via the windows that overlook the western part of the area, being the Cantina Alley. Additionally, you can check the view of the balcony too which gives you an oversight of the Parking Alley towards the east.

• Another route you can adopt when starting off at the spawn point is making your way to the Parking Alley from the Cantina. You can also bolt through the Cantina Alley to the Main Street, navigate to the Market Center via the Tunnel, or through the Main Entrance.

• One thing to note is that there’s nothing quite special about the alleys or the tunnel due to how narrow they are. There’s no strategy here due to how narrow they are, to begin with. But if you want to quickly make your way to the Red Tarps area from the spawn point, your best bet is to access the Barbsehop located in the Parking Alley.

•  What makes the KorTac Spawn so much better as compared to the SpecGru’s is how conveniently accessible it is when it comes to the Market Center. This gives KorTac Operators a clear positioning advantage over enemy operators. Controlling objectives and commanding Hard Points becomes fairly easy if one finds their way to the Market Center.

Strategies

Recruit Strats

• One thing to note is that Mercados Las Almas is sort of like a cross-breed between Shoot House and Shipment. It’s pretty small compared to the average 6v6 map featured in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2’s beta. Additionally, you get lanes that mix into each other creating a recipe for close-quarters chaotic gunfights.

• The occasional or new Call of Duty player might face some frustrating moments here. So, do your best not to focus on your K/D ratio in your first few tries. Keeping cool is also a strategy, even if it isn’t a map strategy. Action is bound to be balls to the walls and fast-paced. So, the best way to exploit this is to match that fast energy by opting for a run-and-gun SMG loadout or capping enemies with a shotgun to the face allowing you to take control of lanes and indirectly, the chaos.

• But things here aren’t as bad as they once were in Shipment, because Mercados Las Almas does offer the occasional hiding spot to users offering them opportunities to save their breath or hide from potential Killstreaks raining down on them.

• Your best bet in each of these scenarios is to head on over to the Catina and the Elephant Room. The first floor does offer protection from killstreaks but not from other elements added into the mix.

• If you’re close to the Parking Alley during an Aerial Killstreak, your best bet is to hole into the L-shaped Barbershop that leads to the Red Tarps in the Market Center. Additionally, the small Warehouse room offers protection via the closeable doors. Killstreaks can’t do a thing about next-gen closeable doors in Modern Warfare 2.

Veteran Strats

• You can open up a few of the crossfire lanes by exploiting a few jump spots. These are found outside of the lanes located in the North and Southern sections of the map and the tip of the Main Entrance of the map.

• One of them is located in the Patio section of the map. Vault over the benches next to the patio to gain entry to the roof of the stall that shuts down. This offers you a great line of vision straight into the Elephant room as well as the side alley located near the Old Church that leads right up to the Main Street section of the map.

• The Second opening is by far the best, as it offers the longest sightline on the map. Vault over the Taco Truck, and just look down the Market Center. This could allow you to ace a shot spanning over 100 meters, so camp to your heart’s content with a beefy sniper build. You can easily pick off players and gain the upper hand over them, particularly at the Main Entrance Spot. Either way, it’s a good place to close off that Lane from the SpecGru spawn area.

• Considering players will be busy rushing in and out of lanes and engaging in battle in the Market Center, this will make for a great moment to pick off enemy operators one by one by setting up equipment traps on the go. Additionally, the open sections of the map can make killstreak operations a breeze. You’ll also need to use some Field Upgrade Traps to fully exploit the map in your favor.

• The entry and exit points of all the tight alleyways, corners of the map, and all of the buildings can be ideal locations to place any ground-based trap or mine, getting you easy kills without ever moving from your spot.

• Due to the frantic nature of the map, most operators won’t think twice before running through either the Barbershop or the Main Entrance. And that’s where field upgrade traps like the Cluster Mine or Claymores can pretty much become a nuisance or a pretty good way of getting kills.

Specialist Strat

• This is indeed a pretty odd tactic, but hear us out and give us the benefit of the doubt. You can pretty much hang off the Forklift in three separate sections, especially when you’re facing south. Again, it seems pretty odd, but it’s a total game changer.

• Hang off the ground and jump between the hanging spot to throw off enemy fire. This can buy you time during close and short-range firefights.

• With your secondary side arm, vault up to the arms of the forklift, and focus on the door to the Trash Truck. This could definitely work if a team operator lays down suppressive fire below while you take control of the sightline above.

• Maneuvering across the map can be pretty hard in the beginning, but once you get a hang of the movement mechanics, you can practice jumping from the trucks parked against the walls of the Parking lot and the Cantina.

• But beware, as you need to precisely maneuver these tight walks so as to not trigger the out-of-bounds area. But if you nail it, it can serve as a supreme positional advantage against enemy operators swarming out of the Cantina Balcony or the Barbershop.

• Adopt it as one of your optional strats when making your way through the Parking Alley becomes somewhat of a death sentence.

Additional Tips

1. Be Prepared

Mercados Las Almas is the smallest 6v6 core map currently and it’s jam-packed with fast-paced action, so be prepared with run and gun loadouts when dropping in.

2. SpecGru Spawn Throws

Considering, KorTac Operators will be bolting towards the Market Center. Wait a brief moment and aim your throwables and grenades from the Spawn Point towards the Center of the Map.

3.  KorTac Spawn Throws

Just as you spawn, fling your equipment across the parking areas as SpecGru Operators will get faster access to the eastern areas of the map.

4. CQB

If you love close-quarters combat, this is indeed the right place for you. You can pretty much make the most of lightweight assault rifles, SMGs, and shotguns to enjoy the chaotic frenzy of this map.

5. Sniping

But there are a few special sightlines for those Sniper Mains. You can exploit the lines of vision of the Parking Area, The Main Street, and the Center Market. A Marksman rifle can also get the job done of eliminating operators rushing into the sightlines of a Sniper Rifle.

6. Aerial Streaks

If you take the wind of an incoming Aerial Killstreak, then make your way to the small Warehouse Room, the Elephant Room, Cantina, or the L-Shaped Barbershop.

7. Equipment Traps

Don’t forget to place all the necessary equipment Traps all across the Market Center, especially the entry and exit points of the alleyways and buildings to score some easy kills, considering everybody will be focused on the fast-paced action.

8. Exceptional Sightlines

Remember to exploit the Parking Lot and Forklift Positions to gain access to some cool lines of sight. The former is best when using sidearms and the latter offers the best line of vision for taking 100-meter shots across the map.

9. Spawn Advantages

KorTac Operators can gain the upper hand in Domination when it comes to Flag B. As for SpecGru Operators, they can pretty much gain the upper hand by rushing towards Flag A and C.

10. Spawn Changes

When it comes to the Search and Destroy Mode, the Spawn orientation is swapped for an East-West approach. This offers reduced lane switching opportunities which reduces the overall level of chaotic madness that Mercados Las Almas normally offers.

Conclusion

And that’s pretty much it for the Mercados Las Almas Guide. Still, got questions? Let us know in the comments below. We’ve got loads of guides lined up to offer the best Modern Warfare 2 Experience. Till then, stay tuned for more. Peace out!

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will launch on October 28, 2022, for the Xbox Series S|X, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Windows PC.